Concordia University

Environmental stewardship is an expression of Concordia University's mission: to prepare leaders for the transformation of society.

An example of Concordia's environmental stewardship is its 74,000-square-foot George R. White Library & Learning Center on the NE Portland campus. The library opened in 2009 and earned the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Gold certification. The building is open to the community and has issued more than 2,000 free library cards.

Concordia's new Hilken Community Stadium uses Nike Grind synthetic turf infill made from recycled shoes for the soccer pitch and baseball field. Half of the use of the stadium is dedicated to community groups and the other half to Concordia student athletes.In preparing the three-square-block land for construction, some residential homes were moved for low-income housing elsewhere in the Portland area, and other home materials were salvaged and recycled.

"We view NW Natural's Smart Energy program as an opportunity to minimize our environmental impact, be a good neighbor, and save costs over time," said Doug Meyer, Concordia's director of physical plant services.